Kant's Justification of the Death Penalty Reconsidered

Abstract

It is hard to know what to think about Kant's ‘passionate sermons’ on capital punishment. Kant clearly feels that it is one of the most important punishments in the state's arsenal. But his vehement insistence on the necessity of execution strikes many readers as philosophically suspect. Critics argue that Kant's embrace of the death penalty is incompatible with, or at least not required by, the fundamental tenets of his moral and legal philosophy (Schwarzschild 1985; Merle 2000; Potter 2002; Hill 2003). These arguments typically employ one of two strategies. The first is to deny that execution is required by retribution in even a prima facie sense; arguments along this line typically question the coherence of Kant's doctrine of the ius talionis (Sarver 1997). The second is to show that there are inviolable moral principles that render the death penalty illegitimate; this criticism typically appeals to the value of human dignity or the right to life (Radin 1980; Pugsley 1981; Schwarzschild 1985; Merle 2000; Potter 2002). There is a third strategy that could be used to criticize Kant, although it is not aimed at him specifcally. This strategy invokes legal principles of fairness or due process. It asserts that, regardless of capital punishment's moral appropriateness or legitimacy, capital punishment is unjust due to the fallibility of legal actors and institutions (Nathanson 2001). Someone adopting the third strategy might claim that, while Kant's justifcation may be acceptable in principle, it fails to justify the death penalty in the world we live in.

Kant's retributivism and the death penalty

“…Stoga ukoliko država nepravedno pogubi nekog, to znači da država ne ispunjava svoju dužnost da nepravedno kažnjenu osobu povrati u stanje u kakvom se nalazila pre kažnjavanja; država ne čini ono što bi trebalo za pogubljenu osobu.S obzirom na to da povratnost zahteva ispunjenje ove dužnosti, smrtna kazna je nepovratna. 74 Jostov argument pokazuje da država ne uspeva da ponovo uspostavi pravdu nakon što je osoba nepravedno pogubljena, jer ne omogućava osobi ono što je ona imala pre pogubljenja -kontrolu nad svojim životom. Dakle, država ne čini ono što bi trebalo u slučaju kada nepravedno kazni nevinu osobu -ne kompenzuje ovu osobu na adekvatan način.…”